The Slayer, The Witch and The Secret Covert Org
by Jeanine DeSerre
Summary: Torchwood doesn't know where she came from and neither does she.


**Disclaimer:** Neither Buffy nor Torchwood are mine.

This came from a prompt on the wonderful Live Journal community comment-fic dot livejournal dot com.

They find her in the warehouse district fighting weevils and kicking their ass too. She moves with lethal grace as she cuts a swatch through the half dozen weevils arrayed around her. The team stands there, mouths open and speechless as she tears the weevils apart with her bare hands. Jack has a gleam in his eyes though that Gwen recognizes as love at first sight and she sighs thinking that no good is going to come of this.

And Jack doesn't disappoint when the fight ends. The girl, woman really, but her height and petite build makes her look more like a child, or maybe it's the lost and confused look on her face as she stands there looking at the dead weevils around her. Jack claps his hands in applause and walks up to her, startling her into a defensive stance. He's his typical exuberant, smooth self, maneuvering the woman away from the alley as the rest of the team begins to clean up. Gwen recognizes it for what it really is with some relief, Jack doesn't know what she is and he's being cautious by using his charm to calm her.

It isn't hard at all really to get the woman back to the base and the reason becomes clear immediately. She has no memory of who she is except a name, Buffy. She has no identification on her but it's obvious from her accent that she's a "bloody American" as Owen so eloquently states. But her strength alone indicates that she is other, so they run tests and then more tests. Tosh uses several pieces of alien tech to examine Buffy and Owen runs a full medical exam. The mystery deepens when both come back saying that Buffy is most definitely human. Owen does make an additional discovery though — Buffy heals at an incredible rate. During the fight, she received several bruises and cuts that Owen reports are completely gone in a matter of hours.

Tosh switches gears and appears to now be searching security cameras in the area to see where Buffy first appeared. Owen takes more blood samples ranting with sarcastic distain about possible DNA manipulation and American hubris, though they all leave unsaid the possibility that this could just as easily be a British experiment too. Gwen finally takes pity on Buffy, as she sits there looking both bored and freaked out at the same time. She brings Buffy down to the training room where she correctly suspects will help Buffy blow off steam. They quickly discover Buffy is proficient in just about every weapon Gwen hands her except firearms, which Gwen finds comforting for some odd reason.

Jack joins them not long into things and challenges Buffy to a one-on-one fight that has Gwen wondering about Jack's sanity. But as usually, Gwen has underestimated Jack's abilities and he holds his own fairly well. In truth, as Gwen observes, Jack has found a way to make their fight a seduction interspersed with his off-kilter, witty banter that Buffy seems to catch on to immediately and reciprocates with enthusiasm. Until now, Buffy has been quiet and withdrawn, but Jack brings out a vibrant and radiant woman in this moment. It's a different kind of dance they do that Gwen finds extremely sexy but also seems to stir feelings of jealousy that surprises her as well.

She doesn't really get a chance to explore these emotions as the alarms start to wail, heralding a breach in their security. They all race back to the main area of the Hub to find powerful winds ripping through the room, centering on what can only be explained as a portal slowly opening in the center. Tosh, Owen, and Ianto are already there. Tosh is holding some sort of instrument that Gwen assumes is analyzing the rift and Owen and Ianto are holding guns.

The winds cease as the portal stops growing and a woman with long red hair and a flowing skirt comes floating through. She looks at each of the people in the room. On spotting Owen's and Ianto's guns, her face darkens and she waves her hand, whispering something in a language Gwen thinks might be Latin and the guns are ripped from their hands.

"Let's not have any misunderstanding now," says the woman.

Gwen is starting to feel panic when the woman spots Buffy and her demeanor changes completely as her face lights up with delight.

"Buffy! We found you!"

She slowly descends to the floor and rushes over to Buffy, who steps back, once again uncertain. Jack tries to step in front of her but freezes in place when once again the woman chants something. But it's not just Jack though, Gwen soon realizes they are all unable to move.

"We've been looking everywhere for you. But there are so many different dimensions and realities, it's like looking for a Buffy-needle in very, very large haystack. Then Andrew said that it was a lot like how the Terminators traveled in that movie and he was wondering if you came through with your clothes, but Xander smacked him upside the head for that. And I realized we needed to find the exact spot you were when you disappeared. So I cast this spell that would manipulate time and…" The woman stops mid-ramble as Buffy steps back away from her again and the woman's face grows concerned.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Then her face lights up again, "Oh that's right, Giles said you might be a bit confused or your memory might be all guacamoled from the ritual since the Prio Moto demon flubbed it when you tossed his altar."

Buffy's scrunches her face, "Prima donna, what?"

The woman ignores Buffy's attempt to talk and walks right into her space as she pulls out a pouch and pours some dust into her hand. "Don't worry. We'll get you right as rain in a jiff." She raises it over Buffy's head, who tries to duck away but is unable to avoid the glittering dust. As the dust lands on Buffy, a flash blinds Gwen for a brief moment. When Gwen can see past the flashing spots in front of her eyes, the woman is holding Buffy's shoulders and Buffy has her hand to her head.

She looks up at the woman. "Willow? What…what happened?"

Willow smiles fondly at her, "Oh the usual — scheming demons, feats of daring-do, you saving the day and the world…again. You know, same-old/same-old."

Buffy smiles back, "Oh, is that all. I guess it must be quitting time then. We should be heading back for some Miller-time…or you know, at least a root beer."

"Yes, I agree. But I think ice cream is also in order too. Root beer floats are definitely a must." She loops her arm with Buffy's and starts steering her toward the portal.

Buffy starts to walk with her but hesitates, "Wait!" She runs over to Jack and gives him a quick peck on the cheek. She looks at everyone in the room as she says, "Thanks for everything. If you're ever in my world…ya know, look me up or something. The name's Buffy Summers."

With that she turns around and the two women walk through the portal that quickly closes after them with a loud pop. As soon as it closes, Gwen and the others can move again. It's the second time that day though that they all are a bit speechless.

Gwen finally manages, "What just happened?"

Ianto shakes his head and walks over to pick up his gun, "I never underestimate the strangeness that is this place." They let that sink in and all nod and wander off quietly, back their routine.


End file.
